“Kill Ugly Radio”

Lagunitas is one of the few breweries that has taken our pitch seriously enough to send us a box of complimentary “review” beer. That was about, oh, a year and a half ago: A huge-ass cardboard box came via FedEx to the Hot Knives offices (back when we were a food and drink column for a newspaper and we had offices) and we jimmied it open to find the Frank Zappa tribute special release brew we’d asked for. The bombers went straight in the fridge and that weekend we popped ‘em on the porch after a bike ride, threw back some snacks and pontificated on the booze. After two bottles, we got stuck on how bad the label art was and we never got around to writing a proper review. Too bad too because the stuff ain’t bad. And no one has sent us free boxes of beer since then…
So, when on a recent 7-11 run we noticed that that Frank Zappa-tribute seasonal is back, we felt compelled by dirty karma to give this shit another shot. Same good beer, totally different — and even worse — label art!
There’s a big wavy head on the stuff at first pour, sort of a rocker hair version of beer foam. What’s better is the effie fucking carbonation bubbles that fizzle for the first minute and then dissipate; it’s a perfect carbonation level for a summery IPA. And yes, this is in most ways an IPA. It’s not terribly different from the straight-ahead Alesmith IPA or something: a session IPA that you could drink “1, 2, 5 or 10” of. After the initial hop zing, which is expertly balanced but not as nutso as you’d expect from a Frank Zappa tribute, comes a well-rounded mellowness. Back when we first glugged this beer, and now almost 18 months later, one after taste comes to mind: strawberry brioche. And not because it actually taste like it, but because it hints at. We can’t help but think that means something. To conclude: don’t let this label fool you, there’s a decent IPA chugger inside this mother.
Dairy Pairy: St. Pat
Soundtrack: Devendra Bahnhart’s “Oh Me, Oh My”